Aston Villa are targeting the wrong type of player in Jordy Clasie

The Feyenoord midfielder is expected to leave the Netherlands this summer, and the Telegraph have claimed that Villa are the latest side to take an interest in signing the 23-year-old midfielder.

Captain of Feyenoord despite his young age, and a a fully-capped Dutch international, Clasie has proven his ability in the Eredivise many times, and has built a solid reputation as a midfielder with real promise.

The report claims Villa are readying a £7 million bid for him, and to sign him ahead of other interested parties would be a statement of intent from Tim Sherwood ahead of his first full season in charge of the Birmingham-based club.

However, he may be a good signing due to his reputation, but Clasie is the kind of player that Villa should not be looking for to improve their team.

A deep-lying midfielder, Clasie is known to be an excellent passer of the ball, making a reputation as one of the best recyclers of possession in the Netherlands. He sits just in front of the defence, and has shown to be a strong ball-winner, despite not being the most physical.

However, Villa have many players of this type already in their squad, with Fabian Delph, Ashley Westwood and Carlos Sanchez all fulfilling that role. Tom Cleverley may have left the club, but Villa need to sign a player with drive from the midfield.

It is no surprise that Delph only truly came to top form when Sherwood was appointed head coach and allowed him freedom to break forward.

Billy Hawkins

Billy is a freelance writer who contributes to various sites concerning football. Known to possess an obsession with statistics, Eastern European club sides, and Victorian football, he focuses upon the untapped potential of the Football League in the belief it is more enjoyable than the Premier League.